NEWS

Chicagoland Speedway preview for Robert Richardson, Jr. and R3 Motorsports

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (July 5, 2010) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the unsponsored No. 23 Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports head to the Windy City area of Chicagoland Speedway to race under the lights on Friday night.

The 1.5-mile oval is next up on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule as they begin the second half of their 2010 season. Richardson and the R3 Motorsports team were glad to bring home their new Nationwide Series car from Daytona International Speedway in one piece.

With that car parked until Michigan International Speedway on August 14, they can concentrate on getting back into their “usual” ride this weekend. Fans will be treated to some Friday night under-the-lights attitude at Chicagoland, and that fact isn’t lost on the drivers, either.

Fast Facts: Richardson will be making his 59th NNS career start this weekend. To date this season, his best finish came at Talladega Superspeedway when he crossed under the checkered flags in 20th place. Having competed in 12 of the 17 races in 2010, Richardson has completed 95.3 percent of the laps contested. His most recent start at Chicagoland was this race last year when the native of McKinney, Texas finished 28th.

Car Facts: Steve Plattenberger and team will roll out chassis No. 30 for the Chicagoland Speedway race. The previous starts for this car have been Texas Motor Speedway in April and Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. In both of those races, Richardson finished in 23rd place.

Owner’s Points Update: As a result of last week’s finish in Daytona, the No. 23 Chevrolet team of R3 Motorsports moved up one position to 26th in the OP standings.

Did You Know: Of the nine NNS races run at the Joliet, Illinois track, the only repeat winner was Kevin Harvick who went to victory lane in 2005 and 2007.

Welcome back to the Prairie State, Mr. Odell: David Odell, jackman on the No. 23 Chevrolet, hails from about two hours and 45 minutes from the track in Springfield, Illinois. He’s been with the team for the past two seasons and also oversees the pit practice equipment during the week.

Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes
Another 1.5 mile track this weekend: “Yes, and this is one that has just the right amount of banking (18 degrees) to suit my driving style. This is the type of track where you have to carry just enough speed into Turns 1 and 3 to set yourself up to exit Turns 2 and 4 properly. If you take too much speed in to the corner, it will goof you up getting back to the gas down the straightaways.”

Talk about racing under the lights again on a Friday night: “This week will be a whole different animal than last week. Because at Daytona, you’re just racing to hold on for dear life to get around that track, avoid the wrecks and be there at the end. You want to race smart at Chicagoland, too, but the layout allows you to race more than just hang on to make laps.

“This is the only time we get to race here, and I know the fans are looking forward to us being there racing under the lights. This whole R3 Motorsports team is going to be ready to give them a good show and good race. We’re looking forward to getting our hands on some of that famous Chicago-style pizza, too.”

For marketing opportunities with R3 Motorsports, contact Tim Packman at 704-507-1838 or timpackman@yahoo.com

For more information on Robert Richardson Jr., please visit our news archive.